Marikina cop returns wallet with P50,000 to owner

MANILA, Philippines - Amid reports of corrupt law enforcers, a Marikina City policeman was commended yesterday for returning a wallet containing P50,000 to its owner, who lost it at a market Wednesday.

National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr. said Senior Police Officer 4 Noel Rufon’s gesture is worth emulating by other policemen in Metro Manila.

Garbo directed Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Miguel Laurel to extend the necessary reward to Rufon for not wasting time in returning the money to its owner, Lawrence Fajardo, of Pasig City.

“We are encouraged by… Rufon and we hope that other policemen would follow his good example,” Garbo said.

Rufon and two other policemen were inspecting a market in Barangay San Roque when he found the wallet at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.

When he opened the wallet, Rufon was surprised to see it full of wads of P1,000 bills, amounting to P50,000.

Rufon reported his find to Senior Superintendent Reynaldo Jagmis, Marikina City police chief, and together they searched the wallet and found Fajardo’s contact number.

Fajardo rushed to the Marikina City police headquarters after being informed that his wallet was found and its contents were intact.

“He was happy when we returned his wallet to him with nothing missing,” Rufon said in an interview.

Fajardo said he accompanied his mother in buying vegetables and other ingredients for their canteen in Pasig City and was not aware that his wallet had fallen from his pants pocket.

Rufon said he did not think twice in returning the wallet. What was foremost in his mind at the time he picked up the wallet was that its owner badly needed the money, he said.